


Highway to Hell

by Estelathan



Series: What If? [2]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Episode: s11e09 O Brother Where Art Thou, Episode: s11e10 The Devil in the Details, Gen, Injured Sam Winchester, Mind Manipulation, Season/Series 11, Season/Series 11 Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-10
Updated: 2016-05-10
Packaged: 2018-06-07 12:19:15
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,345
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6803866
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Estelathan/pseuds/Estelathan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sam goes to talk with the devil. In hindsight, it's not one of his smartest ideas.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Highway to Hell

**Author's Note:**

> Part 2 of my 'What if?' series. Could fit in between episodes 11x9: O' Brother Where Art Thou? and 11x10: The Devil's in the Details. Possible spoilers for both.

 

 

“Let’s get one thing straight here Sammy-boy.” Lucifer says as he stalks towards Sam with a manic gleam in his stolen eyes. He’s manifested in the scarred body of Nick, yet Sam knows it’s simply an illusion to mess with his mind. He’s seen it all before and he knows how to look past it, something he’s very determinedly _not_ doing, as the devil moves in closer like a beast stalking its prey.

 

To be fair it’s not a far-off description—for all his put-upon nonchalance and determination so far Sam’s heart has taken off like a scared jack rabbit at the sight of Lucifer getting closer and closer and there’s a part of his mind that’s already starting to whimper in horrified anticipation of remembered agony. Still, he holds his ground, the solid metal of the Cage’s wall digging into his back as the fallen archangel approaches. “It’s _Sam_.” The hunter grounds out, and though it’s been years since he’s had this argument with anyone he’ll be damned (ha!) if he lets Lucifer get away with it.

 

Lucifer stops a hairsbreadth away, amusement rolling off him in waves as he eyes Sam over like he’s looking at an interesting specimen, or perhaps simply a snack. “It’s Sam! _Sam!_ ” He mocks with a roll of Nick’s eyes and takes a step in closer. “Do you know how much I don’t care?” He asks, his rancid breath puffing into Sam’s face. “Sam. Sammy. It’s whatever **I** want it to be! Look around you—we’re in my playground now!”

 

Ugh. It takes more willpower than Sam imagined not to shudder in revulsion at the terrible, rotting scent of Lucifer’s breath. It’s like death itself manifested in a single smell and for one horribly twisted moment Sam isn’t sure whether to offer the devil a breath-mint or risk taking a swing at him, just to get some distance from the stink. In the end he doesn’t do either, instead he grits his jaw tighter and turns away, still determined that he won’t break this time.

 

“Aww! Is wittle Sammy pouting?” Lucifer mocks, leaning in ever-closer until his face is mere inches away from Sam’s. To his delight Sam twists his head further away and closes his eyes. Lucifer cackles in delight, the sound echoing off the Cage’s walls, before he reaches out to grab Sam firmly by the jaw. “Now, now.” He croons, “There’ll be no pouting during playtime! Suck it up buttercup!”

 

“Let me go!” Sam hisses, trying to pull back, but it’s like struggling against solid iron for all the headway he’s managing to make. His eyes pop back open as he glares defiantly at the abomination in front of him. “Get off me!”

 

In a surprise move, Lucifer lets him go. The bruising pressure on his jaw fades as the devil removes his hands, although he doesn’t move an inch otherwise. “You wound me Sam!” He cries, managing to look hurt despite the shark grin that tickles the edges of his mouth. “I thought you liked it rough. You certainly didn’t complain the last time!”

 

That’s it. Screw the desperation that drove him here again in the first place—Sam was going to freaking _kill_ Lucifer if it was the last thing he ever did. It’s not the smartest thing he’s ever done, and that’s saying a lot considering the list of his sins is longer than he is tall, yet he can’t seem to stop the hand that balls into a fist at his side before it’s swinging through the air and connecting with the solid wall of Lucifer/Nick’s jaw. *CRUNCH!* It’s like punching a brick wall, only a thousand times worse, and Sam barely has the time to reconcile the pain that steals his breath away with the fact that his hand is surely broken before he himself is flying through the air.

 

He lands a few feet away in a tangled heap like a marionette that’s had its strings cut, and remains there. There’s a steady buzzing in his ears that match up with the terrible thumping of his head and by the time Sam manages to get coordinated enough to get his eyes open again he’s surprised to find he’s gasping for air…and Lucifer is standing right above him watching.

 

“Isn’t this a pathetic sight?” The devil drawls, leaning over so his eyes can bore into Sam’s better. “I think you hit your head there Sammy-boy—remember, it goes so much better when you lay back and enjoy the ride!”

 

Nausea creeps its way up the back of Sam’s throat, tampering down the urge to spout off some choice things that would undoubtedly leave him in more pain once Lucifer got through with him. Instead he groans low in his throat and tries to push past the pain as he struggles to push himself up on his elbows.

 

Above him, Lucifer simply watches with glittering eyes. “Look at him go ladies and gentlemen!” He crows, obviously enjoying the show. “Can’t keep this one down, no sir!” He lets Sam struggle on for a few seconds more—of which sees Sam collapsing back to the ground with a strangled scream as he tries putting pressure on his broken hand—before he reaches down and fists a hand in the human’s hair. Completely ignoring his prey’s grunt of pain, Lucifer used his hold on Sam’s head to tug him closer until they were nearly nose to nose. “You know how to make this end Sam.” He says seriously, his rancid breath blowing into Sam’s face once more. “All you have to do is say the magic word and it’ll be over. I’ll even heal you good as new afterwards! What do you say?”

 

Between the pain thrumming merrily away in his head and the red-hot agony that used to be his arm, it’s tempting…for all of five seconds before reality sinks back in. Sam already said ‘yes’ to the devil once, and he knows better than anyone else that no matter the intentions behind it, nothing good lies at the end of that path. Lucifer can break him, remake him, and break him again, but there’s no way he’ll get what he wants this time. Sam’s lips curl back into a snarl worthy of Dean himself, mustering as much contempt as he can as he stares into Lucifer’s borrowed eyes. “No.”

 

“Sam, Sam. Whatever am I going to do with you?” Lucifer sighs dramatically, the hand fisted in Sam’s hair shaking in rhythm with his head. “You think you’re so much better than me but look around!” And here he paused, his free hand waving to encompass the stretching depth of the Cage. “Here you are right where you belong! How about you stop and think about that for a moment?”

 

Sam had no words beyond a stuttered out groan of pain as his teeth clacked together harshly in his skull and the world swam before his eyes. By the time the shaking finally stopped his stomach was in his throat and blood was filling his mouth where he’d ended up biting his tongue yet he wasn’t going to give in. “N-No.” The word was whisper thin, pushed out past the blood dribbling past his lips.

 

Just like a flip being switched, playtime was over. “You still think to resist me?” Lucifer hissed, the look in his eyes hardening as he flung Sam away. “Let’s get one thing straight here—you don’t get to resist me! I don’t like you Sam, but you need me and we both know it. You can lie to your precious brother and you can lie to yourself but you can’t lie to me! You will give in!”

 

Before Sam can muster up the energy to reply there’s a flash of light followed by a familiar, gruff voice shouting: “Hey assbutt! Leave my brother alone!” And just like that relief fills his bones because Dean’s found him at last and no matter what may come next Sam knows he won’t have to go it alone.


End file.
